The Missing Parts: A Collection of Ginny and Harry One-shots
by legendaries
Summary: Harry and Ginny's story left a lot to the imagination throughout their years at Hogwarts, and even many unanswered questions thereafter. This collection of one-shots is here to soften the blow for all of you Harry and Ginny lovers out there. From anywhere to days at Hogwarts, to summer at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny have more of their story to be told.
1. No Snogging in Ron's Room

**Hey guys! Long time no post, but I've kind of strayed away from the fanfic world for a while. However, this summer I made the very socially inhibiting decision to re-read (and watch) all of the books in my favorite series of all time, Harry Potter. Ginny Weasley has always been my favorite character and after diving back into the series, I realized how important her relationship with Harry really is in the series. I decided I was going to do a series of one-shots about Harry and Ginny, filling in the gaps and guessing about their future in between the end of Hogwarts and their marriage. Most of these will be in their teenage years, but maybe I'll write a few after they've been married. This one is about Harry and Ginny rekindling their relationship after the Battle of Hogwarts. Let me know what you guys think and leave one-shot requests below!**

As Harry stared at the piles of debris and hopeful eyes searching into his he realized that a chapter in his life had ended. In a way, this was the only chapter he had ever experienced as a wizard. Since he had turned 11 years old, Harry only knew this life. The life in which he woke up with a throbbing forehead, the life in which he always felt as though someone was after him, and the life where people he loved were constantly taken away from him. He thought of Sirius, the closest thing he would ever have to a real father, Dumbledore, the man who had given him more wisdom over the course of six years than Harry thought he would ever see again in his life, Mad-Eye, who had been the fiercest protector he had ever known, Hedwig, his sole magical company in the hell that was Privet Drive, Lupin, his father's friend, and Harry's most trusted teacher, even Snape, the man who loved his mother beyond compare, so much that he was even willing to risk his life for it.

Harry looked up from his extremely filthy trainers to see more heartbroken faces. Faces that were down to eight from their usual nine. The Weasley family. They had lost a brother and a son today, and Harry had lost a friend. He felt a pang in his heart, knowing that Fred had died fighting for him and because of him. He felt an even stronger pang when he saw a single, small tear slide down Ginny Weasley's face. Ginny. It was selfish, but Harry felt nothing but hope when he had realized that this Weasley had survived the battle.

Her long, red hair was pulled back just enough so that Harry could see her blazing, brown eyes bore into his. Harry couldn't tell if what he was seeing was joy or hatred, regardless it made him shiver. He began to make his way over to her, but his determined step was interrupted by a sea of long, blonde locks.

"Hello Harry," peeped a dreamy voice, belonging to none other than Luna Lovegood.

"Hello Luna, what's up?" Harry replied.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked intently.

"Sure," he replied.

"Um…" she looked around and then her eyes landed on the same brown ones Harry had been gazing into before, "Preferably in private," she clarified as she dragged Harry out into the corridor.

"What's this about, Luna?" Harry questioned with an accusing tone. He had always liked Luna, but the look she had given Ginny before stealing Harry away had not escaped him. "Is this about Ginny?"

"Well, you see, I have grown very close with Ginny this past year," she explained, "I guess you could say she's kind of my best friend. Huh, I've never had a best friend before, or really any friends at all. That is until you and Hermione and Ron started the DA, that was really –"

"Luna, if you wouldn't mind getting on with it," Harry said, through gritted teeth. He was trying his best not to get testy with Luna, he knew she had nothing but good intentions but Harry was eager to return to the Great Hall to be with the Weasley family, specifically Ginny.

"Ah yes, right. Sorry. Well, Ginny has told me a lot about everything, and she knows more than she lets on. She understands a lot more than even you give her credit for." Harry nodded at this comment, acknowledging that Ginny was a talented witch and an even smarter girl. "But she's hurt, Harry, and you know she's more strong-willed than other girls her age and you won't be able to just…" She trailed off as she watched Harry's eyes move away from her and onto the very person they were discussing. "Harry Potter you broke her heart!" Luna bellowed, gaining the attention of not only Harry but everyone else within about a half-mile radius of her, including Ginny herself, who looked down at the ground, tactically avoiding Harry's gaze.

Harry looked from Ginny to Luna and then back to Ginny, hoping her eyes would meet his. He looked back at Luna and watched her shrug her shoulders, feeling no remorse for the scene she just caused. "You're going to have to work for her, Harry," she stated in a much softer tone. "Ginny Weasley will not come easily." Harry simply nodded at Luna, he did not try to stop as she flounced away, her blonde locks swaying in the breeze.

Ginny stood up and wiped what looked like several tears from under her eyes and began to walk towards Harry. "Ginny I…" Harry started, but as soon as he opened his mouth Ginny's eyes met his for a brief moment and she continued right past him, her stride becoming quicker as she moved past him, just barely brushing his shoulder. He turned around to follow her but just as quickly as she had approached him, she had disappeared out of sight.

"Hermione…" Harry muttered as he ran out of the Great Hall with more eyes on him than he'd like to admit. He knew his best friend, as well as Ginny's, would be his best bet in this situation. He knew that Ginny had been confiding in Hermione for years, and he knew this meant that she would have the answers. Not to mention Hermione could solve almost all of Harry's problems, and had been doing so for years. As he was walking through the halls, stepping over piles of concrete and broken objects, Harry found Hermione, but she was not alone. Normally Harry would have been thrilled to see Hermione and Ron, especially seeing as they were holding hands and talking intently, but Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to face Ron on the Ginny front. After all, he had promised Ron he would stay away from her because he had hurt her before. But maybe it would be different this time, the war was over, he didn't want to run from Ginny anymore. It just might be a little bit more difficult to help Ron realize that. He took a final deep breath and sat down on the stair directly below them.

"So you two, yeah?" Harry asked, feeling mildly awkward as it was clear he had just interrupted something. Ron lifted up their intertwined hands as if examining them to make sure the moment was real.

"Yeah," Ron said, grinning sheepishly. "It looks that way doesn't it?" Hermione simply laughed at this and shook her head. Despite their newfound physical closeness, the essence of Ron and Hermione's relationship was always going to be there, and for that, Harry was forever grateful.

"Listen, mate, I'm really sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I talked to Hermione alone for a second?" Harry asked rather quickly, afraid of what Ron might think he was getting at. Much to his surprise, Ron nodded and gave him a firm pat on the back as he walked away, most likely to greet his family and share the good news with them in greater detail.

"What's up, Harry?" Hermione inquired. Before Harry could even open his mouth, Hermione seemed to have a realization, "Ah, Ginny yes I was wondering when you were going to come to me with this. I'll admit, this is sooner than I thought it would be, usually, you're so caught up in the aftermath of these kinds of things. You don't let your heart come in until much later." Harry looked at her, an expression of pure astonishment on his face. "What?" Hermione asked accusingly. "Come on Harry, I've known you for seven years now. Books aren't the only things I can read."

"I don't know what to do Hermione," he started, "Luna told me basically to be careful because I broke her heart and when I tried to talk to Ginny she just ran away." Hermione nodded, prompting him to continue. "She's everything to me, blimey, I can't believe it took me this long to realize it…" Harry trailed off into his thoughts. His mind wandered to the first kiss he shared with Ginny, and the days of peaceful bliss thereafter. He thought of how she made him feel like there wasn't any bad left in the world, and that if he could just hold her again, he would be sure of this once and for all.

"She cares about you Harry, too much for her own good. She's the strongest girl I know and she has watched you grow up into the man you are today. She knows you more than you think she does, and while she understands your choices and does not fight you on them, that doesn't make them hurt her any less. Give her time, give her space, but let her know you're there. Making an effort will show her you still care." Hermione explained, her hand placed firmly on Harry's knee.

"It's funny," Harry began, "All these years, I had been going to Ron with girl troubles, but you were right here all along."

"Oh please," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "It took Ron this long to even realize I was a female, don't tell me it's just coming to you now too? Come on Harry, you defeated Voldemort merely hours ago and you're telling me you can't even piece together the thought that I might be more equipped to help you while you were drooling over Cho than Ron? Merlin's beard, you two can be really thick sometimes," she huffed, pushing her loose strands from her ponytail out of her face and standing to face Harry. "Go," she said, ushering him up from the staircase, "Find her, be with her. It's the least you can do after the year you've put her through. And do me a favor, don't make the excuse that you were saving the wizarding world and whatnot, I have a feeling you need to admit to yourself that Ginny had to save you for you to be able to accomplish any of that." Harry watched her turn her back on him, frozen with shock. He felt as though he had been petrified as he realized all of the times Ginny had kept him safe, simply the thought of her being there when all of this was over. Now that it was, Harry realized every second that he had wasted pretending like he didn't need Ginny by his side through it all.

Harry stood up and brushed the dirt off of his hands, making the small attempt to make himself more presentable. He peered at his reflection in a piece of a mirror that had been broken off on the ground. "Maybe just this once," he said to himself, "I should care a little about my appearance." He took off to the Gryffindor common room to collect his thoughts and maybe a comb before he confronted Ginny. As he finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, he silently thanked whoever left the portrait hole open, seeing as he wasn't aware of any of the passwords that year.

He walked towards his favorite spot in the common room, the couch right in front of the fire where he, Ron, and Hermione used to sit, him and Ron copying Hermione's homework while she scoffed, starting an assignment that she was most likely doing months in advance. Harry smiled as he looked at the chair next to it, where Ginny used to sit, rolling her eyes at wrong and catching Harry's eye to make a joke every once in a while. He stood up and started walking back and forth in front of the fireplace, running his hands through his hair, trying to muster up the courage to even think about what he was going to say to Ginny.

"If you pace any longer, you're going to break the floor," Harry's skin tingled with the sound of a voice all too familiar. He turned around to be faced with his greatest desire and his deepest fear all in one.

"How long have you been here?" Harry asked intently, not sure what else to say to begin the conversation.

"Long enough to watch you reminisce," Ginny replied, a fresh tone in her voice, as though she was talking back to a parent. "It's funny isn't it?" Ginny began, running her hands over the very couch Harry was standing in front of, "Thinking about all of those times the four of us sat here, not knowing what our futures held. Especially not you and I, not then, and most definitely not now." Harry looked at her with astonishment and wonder. The whole entire walk up to this room Harry had been going over what he was going to say to Ginny when he saw her, but seeing as he was not expecting to meet her this soon, all of the thoughts and words seemed to melt away.

"Ginny I'm so -" she held up her hand as if to cut him off from whatever stupid thing the two of them both knew he was about to say.

"Don't waste your breath," she said, this time more coldly than Harry had ever heard her. "I was just coming up here to get a few of the things I had left behind," she muttered, thumbing a picture Harry recognized over in her hands.

"Hey lemme see that," Harry said, reaching to grab the photo from her hands. Before she could stop him, Harry realized what he was looking at.

"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed, "Harry Potter that is _NOT_ yours." She stated firmly, crossing her arms while Harry examined the photograph. She watched as his expression softened and she decided to explain. "Dad took it on a muggle camera, that's why it isn't moving. I thought it was special that way. A real, unfiltered moment. You and I haven't had many of those, you know." Harry couldn't take his eyes off the picture. For something so simple, something created with a muggle device, this was one of the most magical, powerful things he had seen. He stared at the two of them, sitting side-by-side at the Weasley table, Harry's arm casually slung around Ginny's shoulder, his eyes and smile laughing. Meanwhile, Ginny's long, red hair laid perfectly around the edges of her face, her brown eyes gazing up at Harry, her mouth mid-laugh.

"This was my birthday," Harry stated. In his mind, this had been a question, but now he was sure of it. He remembered that moment well. He had known he couldn't be with Ginny, but just being close to her, sharing a moment that could have easily been mistaken for a friendly one, was all he needed to get through the day without thinking about his journey ahead. If he had known that was going to be the last time he was in close proximity to Ginny, he would have grabbed her and kissed her one last time, or at least said a proper goodbye. He peered back up at Ginny, nodding while she bit her bottom lip, clearly trying to hold back tears. If he knew one thing about her, it was that Ginny Weasley refused to cry in front of him, or anyone for that matter.

"You hurt me, Harry," she murmured, her eyes falling to the floor.

"I know- " He began, but Ginny cut him off yet again.

"Please," she said, her eyes begging with his, "I need to be able to say this first, Harry." He nodded, as if allowing her to continue, although he knew she needed no permission from him. "You hurt me, you broke my heart, but somehow I never stopped caring. I think that's where the resentment stems from. You went on, completing a mission that I was not allowed to know anything about, but you still had this kind of control over me. You were gone, and we weren't together, but I knew I had to stay loyal to you. I never stopped caring about you, and every time I thought about you, it started to hurt more. But you know what? I'm done. I don't want to care anymore because I know it's only going to hurt me in the end. I can't do this anymore." She stopped herself, finally breaking, as Harry watched her hurriedly wipe a tear from running down her face as she turned on her heels, running into the closest door, which just happened to be the boy's dormitory.

"Ginny, wait!" Harry called, chasing up the stairs after her. "Please listen to me," he begged, finally reaching her and grabbing her arm to stop her from running more. He looked around and realized they were in his old room. He smiled to himself as he recognized his old four-poster, seemingly untouched, even after all this time. He gestured towards the bed, she looked at him skeptically but sat down, regardless of her better judgment. "I'm sorry," he explained, looking her directly in the eyes. "What I did was wrong and unfair to you, I knew Voldemort and the Death Eaters would try to use you to get to me, so I felt like I needed to protect you. The second I left I knew I had made a mistake. You proved today, and have been proving your entire life, that you can, in fact, protect yourself. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it." He breathed a sigh of relief. He had done it, without stuttering or breaking eye contact or saying something incredibly stupid. He looked into her dark eyes to gain any sort of insight into what she was thinking. Then, sure enough, a smile broke out on her face. It seemed to reach her eyes first, and then her lips and Harry's body was filled with warmth, as though he had just gulped an entire glass of butterbeer without taking a breath.

"You saved me once, remember?" she mentioned, smiling as Harry nodded his head. He knew to what she was referring instantly, as he remembered the leather-bound diary with the basilisk-fang sized hole in the middle. She took his hand and enveloped it in between the two of hers, her eyes never leaving his. "I'm mad at you, I was mad at you, and I still am. But part of that's my fault. I was scared and hurt and confused when you left. I needed to tell you that instead of just falling into your arms the second I saw you, which believe me, is exactly what I wanted to do," she admitted rather quietly. "It's going to take time, and things aren't going to go exactly the way they did before, but I'm willing to work for it if you are." Harry could only nod as his response, unsure of what to say to a person who seemed like they had all the answers.

She let go of his hand and stood up, brushing her hair out of her face as she did so. "Now let's go before Ron- " Before she could finish her sentence Ron came flying through the doorway, his face almost as red as his hair.

"HARRY POTTER I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAVED THIS WORLD AND OUTERSPACE YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" He bellowed, Hermione, looking sheepish and repeatedly mouthing sorry as she waved her hands above her head trying to catch their attention. Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled as she watched Ron's face go two shades deeper as she grabbed Harry's hand.

"Oh shut up, Ron. I already chewed him out enough for one day. You can have him tomorrow, but for now, can you just be happy that it isn't some git you'll make fun of at family dinners." Ginny scolded, as Ron huffed out of the room, Hermione tiptoeing behind him, turning around to apologize for her new boyfriend's misbehavior every few steps.

"JUST DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU SNOGGING IN MY ROOM WHEN YOU STAY OVER HARRY. THAT'S FOUL!" Ginny and Harry looked at each other and lost it as they heard Ron's final plea and a door slam behind them.

"You know…" Ginny mentioned, grabbing both of Harry's hands in hers, turning his body to face hers, "We can always snog in my room," Ginny said, laughing to herself as she watched Harry's face go red and his eyes look for anything to bore into besides hers. She loved knowing she could make the famous Harry Potter squirm after years of nothing but pure embarrassment around him.

"Yeah, just don't send me any singing Valentine's this year, okay Ginny?" He asked, finally gaining an ounce of confidence back.

"No promises, Potter," she whispered, rising to her tiptoes and leaning into him, his hand moving down to the small of her back. They shared one last smile before closing their eyes and allowing their lips to touch. Harry was met with a feeling that was so foreign, yet so familiar at the same time. He felt a new jolt of energy, one hand running through her hair, the other still place firmly on the small of her back, her arms wrapped around his neck. It felt like he was flying again, better than flying on a Firebolt, better than the first time he ever caught a snitch. The rest of the world melted away, he was a normal boy kissing a girl he cared about and had cared about, he now realized, for many years. They were interrupted by a firm cough in the doorway, and Harry, feeling just as awkward as he had before, pulled away, but Ginny's fingers remained interlocked behind the nape of Harry's neck, his skin tingling where her thumbs grazed his hairline.

"You know, Harry," Ron began, "This is still technically my room too, you know." And at that, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione broke out into fits of laughter. At that moment, Harry knew everything was going to be okay. He would always be Ron's best friend, Hermione would always be there for the two of them, and Ginny? Well, Harry knew she was going to be around for a while, maybe even forever, but it seemed foolish to think about that now. Harry and Ginny settled into Harry's bed, with Ron and Hermione next to the two of them in Ron's. There they remained for what felt like minutes but Harry knew was several hours. Talking, laughing wondering what the summer would bring the foursome. Harry didn't know much, and he couldn't see the future, no matter how hard Professor Trelawney had wanted him to, but he knew it would be nothing short of an adventure.


	2. Two Victories for Miss Weasley

**A/N: Hey guys! Thought I would give you another story this evening, seeing as I had absolutely nothing else to do today but dream up this idea. Although the story is still written in the third person, it is written from more of Ginny's perspective. I wanted to retell their first kiss, and the missing moments after, as she saw it. Hope you enjoy and as always, leave reviews and requests, please!**

As Ginny closed her fingers around the cold, glimmering ball, she had an instantaneous feeling of joy. She had done it, she had won Gryffindor the Quidditch House Cup. This was her moment. And all she wanted to do was share it with…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sea of crimson and gold rushing to hug her and lift her in the air. Hermione spun her around in circles screaming and cheering, Ron was whooping and hollering as he screamed, "THAT'S MY SISTER THAT IS! GINNY WEASLEY, REMEMBER THE NAME!" Ginny laughed as her brother lifted her onto his broad shoulders and carried her through the crowd into the Gryffindor common room.

As the door opened, Ginny frantically began to search the room for a familiar face. She wanted to tell Harry all about the match, from start to finish. Every moment, every play, every moment she thought she even caught a glimpse of the snitch. Before she could even turn to face the fireplace and Harry's usual resting spot, Ron had lifted her in the air and was spinning her around, Neville was dancing in circles around her, his Gryffindor scarf flouncing with him, Seamus and Dean kept high-fiving each other and were doing some sort of Irish jig Seamus had started to teach him.

Finally, the portrait hole opened again and in walked just the person Ginny had been looking for. She heard Ron screaming something at him but she couldn't figure out what he was saying, all she could think about was hugging Harry and thanking him for giving her the opportunity to play his position and believing in her and not seeing her as his best friend's little sister anymore. She took the length of the common room at a run. That was the only way she was going to be able to embrace Harry without feeling embarrassed or as though everyone was staring at her. She finally reached him, and in one, swift movement she threw her arms around his neck. Before she could even untangle her arms from the back of his neck, Harry pulled her closer and kissed her. Too stunned to think, Ginny kissed him back. This wasn't like kissing Michael or even kissing Dean. This was a kiss that had taken six years of her life to finally occur. And in her opinion, it was worth the wait. Soon, the world began to spin again and Harry was releasing his hand from the nape of her neck, she shivered as he brushed his hand through her hair and brought it back down to his side, running his fingers through his own, messy locks. Ginny did not remove her eyes from his, in fact, she was too afraid to even turn around. She watched Harry's eyes search the room for a face she knew all too well. As she watched relief fill Harry's eyes, she knew Ron had given him the okay. As Harry's eyes met hers once again, Ginny bit her lower lip, smiled, and lead him out of the portrait hole.

"Ginny, I-I-I c-c-can't believe-" Harry muttered, as she dragged him through the empty corridors and out through the front gates.

"Shut up, Harry," Ginny said, giggling, "You sound like Professor Quirrell. Just wait, process, and then we can talk." He nodded quickly, agreeing to Ginny's plan and followed her out past Hagrid's and to a quiet, reserved tree, looking out over the Black Lake. As they sat down, Ginny planted herself down, hugging her knees and casually leaning her back against the tree. Harry sat directly to the right of her, and was, as Ginny noticed, careful not to touch her after she released his hand from hers. "Some kiss," she stated plainly, looking into Harry's eyes for his response.

"I mean I figured after everything… I just thought you might still… You've been so different this year, and even last year too, and I just… Well, I wanted to see what you would think about, you know, maybe you and I…" He trailed off, unable to finish a single sentence. Ginny let out a burst of laughter, her eyes glittering with amusement as Harry gave her a sheepish, awkward smile, adjusting his glasses to avoid looking at her.

"Funny, isn't it?" Ginny asked.

"What is?" Harry responded.

"You, nervous to talk to me. Oh, how the tables have turned Harry Potter," Ginny explained, feigning a flustered tone when she said Harry's name. "After all those years of me hiding in the bathroom when I realized you were downstairs, fixing my hair and stealing my mum's makeup to try to impress you. And the second I even tried to forget about you… well, here we are," she grinned as she said this, making it clear that she wasn't upset with Harry for ignoring her, more grateful that she had this moment to gloat.

"You know," Harry began, "It was never anything personal. I always thought you were sweet. And even as you got older, I started to realize how you could get a real laugh out of me, more than even Ron or Hermione usually could. And then last year, you really blew me away in the DA, Ginny. And when you went to the ministry with us, the way you fought and risked your life just to protect your friends? That's when I knew Cho had been the wrong choice that year," Ginny couldn't help but smile at these words, remembering how hurt she had secretly been to hear that Cho and Harry were dating. "I think I realized that you don't need me," he explained, "And in turn, that made me realize just how much I needed you."

At these words, Ginny decided it was her turn to initiate physical contact. She leaned over a few inches and placed her lips on his, smiling through the kiss as she felt Harry relax into her, his hand finding her back while the other pushed her long, red hair behind her ear. This was it. This was him. She was kissing Harry Potter. And for just a split second, she felt like she was the same, 11-year-old girl, running down the stairs, wide-eyed and amazed that Harry Potter was sitting at her kitchen table. She kissed him fiercely, and just as she began to climb onto his lap, Harry pulled away for a brief moment, barely getting out the word "Ron," before Ginny brought his lips back to hers. In between kisses, Harry exclaimed, "No," "Ginny," "I mean," "Turn around!" And as Ginny turned to see her brother high tailing it down to their exact location, Hermione on his tail, she removed herself from Harry just as quickly as she had planted her mouth on his. Fixing her hair, she stood up to face not only her brother but the best friend of the boy she was snogging only moments ago.

"Ron, I am a grown human being and yes, I happen to be your sister, but that gives you no right to-" Ron held up a hand to cut Ginny off before she could even finish her sentence.

"Rules," Ron stated plainly. "We need to set ground rules. First, Harry, you keep Ginny out of our room. I do not want to see her in there at any time of day," Harry nodded, unable to speak as he watched Ron instruct him with more confidence than Hermione in a charms lesson. "Second," he continued, "At the Burrow this summer, I will be waking up every hour to check that both of you are in your designated beds. If not, I will be of age and a few hexes might do both of you some good." Hermione laughed from behind Ron, breaking her silence as an innocent bystander. "And finally," Ron claimed, even more firmly than before, "Harry Potter you have been my best friend since we were eleven years old, but if you so much as CRACK a fraction of my sister's heart, you will have to answer to me, as well as the rest of our family. Got it?" Harry gulped, nodded, and immediately Ron's mood changed. "Better than Dean, eh Ginny? And definitely better than that Corner kid, yikes," Ron mentioned, swinging an arm around Harry's shoulder. "My little sister and my best mate," he continued as Hermione rolled her eyes, clearly understanding that he was interrupting something between Harry and Ginny. "There are worse pairings, I can tell you that. Say, Harry! What changed your mind? We all know Ginny here has been obsessed with you from the start. OW!" He was cut off by Ginny elbowing him as hard as she could in the ribs, "What was that for?!" Ron exclaimed, clutching his ribcage in pain.

"I'll have you know that it is none of your business why Harry chose now and I'll have you know I was _not_ obsessed with him!" Ginny announced, stomping her foot on the ground and crossing her arms, reminding Harry of the same little girl who was begging her mom to board the train at King's Cross before she was even old enough to attend Hogwarts.

"Oh blimey, Ginny!" Ron bellowed, "You're telling me you _didn't_ have a collection of things Harry had touched in our house under your – OW Ginny, Merlin's beard where did you learn to throw a punch like that!" He asked, rubbing the other side of his rib cage where Ginny had thrown her fist.

"Probably from all of those times I beat you and Fred and George in fist fights growing up!" Ginny retorted, "Now go away unless you want a trip up to Madam Pomfrey to fix your broken nose!"

"I don't have a…" Ron peered down at his nose and then back at Ginny again. With what seemed to be the slightest look of fear in his eyes, Ron saluted Harry and ran off back to the castle, leaving Hermione in his tracks.

"I really am happy for the two of you," Hermione explained, "I mean really, we all saw it coming but I'm just glad it happened when it did. I'm on your side, you know. If you ever need me to keep Ron out of your sight, I am at your full service," With a smile, Hermione followed Ron back up to the castle, leaving Harry and Ginny alone for the second time that day, and fully alone for only the second or third time in either of their lives.

"You've grown up nicely, Ginny Weasley," Harry said, smiling as he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her left ear.

"You were always kind of funny looking, Harry Potter," Ginny giggled as she tapped his scar. Although she knew this was a sensitive spot for Harry, she also knew that if anyone could get away with poking fun at it, she could. Today Ginny had seen what kind of influence she could have over Harry, and she could not wait to use that to its fullest advantage the rest of the school year. "Race you back to the castle!" She called, taking off at a full sprint. "Last one there is a rotten dragon's egg!" She laughed as she watched Harry stumble as he started to chase after her. "Harry Potter, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," she muttered to herself, a smile appearing on her lips as she snuck a peek behind her to make sure Harry was still well behind her. She watched him smile, more than he ever had before, and in that moment, she knew all was right in the world.


End file.
